Question

Questions about eradication…

13 December 2009. Related: All topics, Cure, Living with HIV long-term.

I have been doing some research on HIV and came across a article saying that once on ARVs it can take upto 7.7 years to rid the virus from the body. I know this isn’t probably the case, but I read another article saying infected cells can rest for upto 70 years.

Also, I read that the body gets rid of infected cells that are resting and that they can awake with a infection such as a cold or flu also if that is the case wouldn’t it make sense to treat everyone with HIV with a entry inhibitor, and also to give vaccines for flu and various other vaccines to awake those sleeping cells, and also to treat people with a ARV that breaks the blood brain barrier and also gets into the semen.

Also I have read about valporic acid that wakes up more resting cells which ARVs can go to work on it seems to me that you have to hit this virus hard. I figure that if you do this repeatedly over time then eventualy deplete the resting CD4 population and the time it would otherwise take to rid the body of HIV would be much shorter.

Do you know of any research involved in atacking resting CD4 cells?

Answer

Answer: Simon Collins

Thanks. It is good that you are following the research and you have highlighted different areas that are being looked at to reduce the need for lifelong treatment.

The 7.7 year study I think was calculated based on treating someone in very early infection, perhaps even before seroconversion. In practice, for the majority of people who are diagnosed later and who start treatment later, the 70 year calculation is probably much more realistic.